An orphaned bear cub pulled from a tree by people wanting photos is now “thriving” in the care of a Wildlife refuge group, the nonprofit organization said Tuesday.
The baby black bear was one of two cubs snatched from a tree outside an apartment complex in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 16. The alarming incident was captured in a now-viral video, which shows a group of people grabbing the cubs to pose for them. “selfies” before dropping them to the ground.
The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge took in one of the cubs that day, and after some time adjusting and meeting another orphaned cub in the rescue’s care, both cubs are “doing well.”
“They eat well and interact in enriching ways, doing all the things we hope to see with young cubs,” said Savannah Trantham, executive director of the shelter. “Our team has no reason to believe that they will not be released as wild bears in the fall.”
Animals and Insects
Bear cub in rehab after people saw him pulling him from tree for photos
1:29 p.m., April 21, 2024
-Trantham said it’s not unusual for baby animals to be alone in the spring and summer while their mothers search for food. She noted that while the public may feel concerned when they see a baby bear cub, the animals are often “exactly where they’re supposed to be,” in a place their mother left them until they were either time to move or eat.
On the day of the incident, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission staff learned that the two cubs that people had pulled from the tree had escaped the area after biting someone.
The cub taken in by AWR was found in a retention pond and appeared “lethargic and frightened.” He seemed to favor one of his front legs and was wet and shivering,” Ashley Hobbs, NCWRC bear rescue coordinator, said at the time.
Wildlife crews searched for the second cub but never found it.
“We hope he was able to reunite with his mother because he wouldn’t survive on his own at this young age,” said James Tomberlin, mountain operations supervisor.
The NCWRC has now closed its investigation into the incident and no charges will be filed.
